Medieval Piss Pot
Medieval Piss Pot
Medieval Piss Pot
Medieval Piss Pot

Medieval Piss Pot

Regular price£50.00
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Design
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Details
This is a replica of a late Medieval piss pot found at Linlithgow Royal Palace which is now part of the Historic Scotland collection.  As settlements became larger and more organised there became a greater need for hygienic sanitation to avoid illness and disease.   This resulted in the advent of the Garderode for the royals and nobles, the piss pots for senior courtiers and communal toilets for low ranking courtiers and servants.  The very poor continued to use the bushes. 

Even with these facilities it was still common for courtiers in large houses to relieve themselves in the corners of rooms, the corridors or even the fireplaces. In 1573, Thomas Tusser wrote in his ‘Five hundreth Goode Pointes of Husbandrie:

Some make the chimnie chamber pot to smell like Filthie stink,

Yet who so bold, so soone to say,

fough, how These houses stink? (Hibbert 1987, p. 201).

These pots served a further purpose due to the use of human urine in the tanning of animal skins and dying of fabrics.  Families would all pee in a pot and then once a day it was taken to be sold to the tannery, some believe this to be the origin for the phrase ‘Taking the Piss’. 

 

Materials

Grogged earthenware and green glaze

Dimensions

Approx 225mm tall

Health and Safety

As with all of our Museum quality replicas, this piece has been fired to achieve an authentic finish. Like the original it is not fully glazed,  as a result this pot does not meet modern health and safety standards and, although decorative, I would not recommend that this pot be used for its original purpose.

Production

This replica has been hand made in Northumberland by Potted History, based on an original artefact.  As with the original this replica has been wheel formed, it has then been finished using a green glaze to emulate the original glaze used.  A very common glaze during this period it would have got its green coloration from grinding lead and copper, suspended in water before applying it to the surface to the pot before its final firing.


Postage
All items are sent using a second class postal service, if you wish to have an item sent first class please contact my for a quote. Many Thanks

SHIPPING
We ship our fabulous replicas worldwide.
Shipping costs are worked out during checkout. They are based on where you are in the world and how heavy your parcel is, which can be very variable.

All items are sent using a second-class postal service. If you wish to have an item sent first class, please contact us for a quote. Many Thanks

RETURNS
If you aren't completely satisfied with your Potted History piece, please get in touch to organise a return. Email us at

clare@rothburycreates.co.uk

Then you can send it back at your own cost in an unused condition within 30 days, and we'll refund you for the cost of the item or items returned. If you include your order number with the returned package, that will speed things up. Please leave any original packaging intact.

Our returns address is:
Potted History, Gregory Court, Rothbury, Northumberland, NE65 7SW

PRODUCT VARIATION

Please be aware that due to items being handmade and finished, colour variations will occur during the making process, and each replica will have some differences.  Also, know that the item photographed may not be the one that you receive, and colours can appear differently on different screens.  Please ensure you look at all the images to get a fully formed idea of the item you are ordering as we try to capture the variations within the images we share.  If you prefer a specific colour variation, please contact us before ordering. 

Don't take our word for it

Hello Graham and Sarah, I wanted to message because I ordered your holy grail pot for my dad's birthday and he is over the moon with it.

Rachel Frankish

Many thanks again for all of the pottery - this will help bring our new Heritage learning programme to life!

Nottingham University Museum

I love it! I love everything about it, what it represents, why you made it and the history behind it. It was worth the wait! Thank you so much.

Gillian Castle

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